The Catalyst
by MildredHelper
Summary: Tonks and Lupin have two children and another on the way. What happens when this child isn't like the other two?


**A/N: This is my first time publishing a fic for the Harry Potter fandom. Please tell me what you think. Big shout out to one of my nearest and dearest friends, Kaitlyn without whom this story never would have seen the light of day.**

Ever since she had told him that they were to have a child, he had been filled with a terrible dread. Here they were two children later, and it still hadn't gone away. She was pregnant again. What if this was the child that would be a werewolf like himself? They had been blessed with Teddy who was just like his mother except for his father's temper. Marigold was the spitting image of her mother and just as quirky. She didn't have a mean bone in her body (or a wolf one for that matter).

Tonks laid a hand on her flat abdomen. "I'm glad for this baby, Remus. "Mari will be off to Hogwarts with Ted in a matter of days, and I've missed having a babe around the house!" She exclaimed in her typical over the top fashion, her hair her favorite shade of bubble gum pink.

"Yes, dear," he gave her a weak smile, wrapping his arms around her from behind as they cuddled on the couch.

After so many years together, she could see right through him. "Remus, it will be all right. Have we had any problems before?" She craned her neck to look at him.  
He looked down ashamedly.  
"You needn't worry, darling. Even if this baby does turn out to be a werewolf, that won't stop us from loving him…or her. Please don't fret," she turned even more in his arms and pressed a kiss to his lips before their children came into the room.

Theodore Lupin was your typical kid who was "too cool for school." Despite his demeanor, their was something entirely lovable about him. Marigold, on the other hand, was all heart. She made friends wherever she went and people were always telling them how lucky they were to have such a spirited youngster.

"Mum!" Marigold smiled and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"Hey, pup," she smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair. "Are you ready to go to Diagon Alley?"  
Mari loved shopping in the little wizarding village and nodded enthusiastically.  
"Let me just get my pesky shoes," Tonks smiled and laughed.

While his wife was busy getting ready, Remus got out the brooms and tucked some floo powder into his pocket. He was always paranoid that they would need a quick get away. Though mixed marriages were becoming more accepted, he was still worried that someday they would be targeted. They hadn't been since before Teddy was born, but he was always extra aware of it, glad for his ultra-sensitive ears. There were times when having certain wolf-like reflexes paid off.  
"Dad!" Marigold smiled and headed for her strong father.

"Hey, pup!" He picked up the eleven year old girl and rubbed his nose against hers, chuckling when she made a low growling noise. "I'm going to miss you while you're at Hogwarts," he said softly. "What are we to do without our pup?"

"You'll manage," she laughed, tossing her head of curls back. "Just take care of mum, alright?"

"Yes'm," he kissed her cheek before setting her down as his wife and son came into the room. He quickly handed them their brooms. "Let's be off."

Tonks cast her broom aside, always preferring to ride with her husband. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "You're hopeless," he whispered in her ear before mounting the broom.

Ted rolled his eyes at his parents before mounting his own broom. Once Marigold was on her broom too, they headed off for Diagon Alley, the wind blowing their hair back. Once there, they had to stop in at Mr. Ollivander's wand shop.

"Are you ready, pup?" Tonks asked her daughter with a wide grin before she accidentally knocked over a display of wand cases.

"Dora," Remus scolded gently before picking the products from the display up quickly. He always tended to worry about her and her clumsiness, but especially when she was expecting.

"Sorry," she laughed good-naturedly before steering Marigold over to the elderly gentleman standing behind the counter.

"So you're here to let the wand choose you, eh?" He asked, looking the girl up and down.

"Yes, sir!" She exclaimed excitedly before the man winked at her, a twinkle in his eye.

"I remember the days your parents picked out their wands," he nodded toward them in acknowledgment.

Both of them smiled back, Tonks waving and knocking another thing over in the process.  
"I'm going to have to put you on a leash," Remus murmured under his breath as he always did.

"This is an exciting moment, child," Ollivander smiled as he began to pull down a few boxes from the shelves. "You think you'll be Gryffindor like your father or Hufflepuff like mum?"

Marigold seemed to be trying to think of an appropriate response when a medium sized box zoomed off of the shelf and flew straight toward her.

"Wotcher!" She exclaimed and caught the intricate gray box. "Do I…?" She looked over at Ollivander who nodded encouragingly. "Okay…" She ever so slowly opened the box, revealing an ornately designed wand. It was short and stubby, not to mention heavy, but Marigold could tell right away that it was a perfect fit.

"Ah, the perfect mixture of your parents' wands," the man beamed happily before handing it back to her.

"You did it, pup!" Tonks grinned proudly and hugged her daughter.

"Well done," Remus agreed and put an arm around his wife. "Now let's see if Ted managed to get all of the books you needed," he led them out of the store, having already paid for the wand.

Teddy was making his way down the cobblestone path, his arms laden with books. "Hey, wolf brains, I got your books!" He yelled when he saw his younger sister.

"Hey!" She exclaimed and ran up to him, grabbing the sack from him. "Thank you," she laughed before their parents caught up to them.

"Time for a butter beer?" Remus suggested, and they all nodded their approval.

After their trip into Hogsmeade for a butter beer at the Hog's Head, they headed back home and the adults relaxed. Marigold was busy organizing her supplies and Ted was talking to his girlfriend on a muggle invention called an iPhone. They had Arthur Weasley to thank for the introduction to muggle technology, (that was the name of the course he taught at Hogwarts, and he was making great money), and they loved being able to talk before classes resumed.

Remus watched as his wife fell asleep with her head resting against his chest. She was such a cuddler, and he loved that about her. He was looking forward to many more nights like this in the near future with both of their children going off to school. He had to force her to agree, but they decided that anytime Tonks was pregnant, she would take a break from being an Auror and stay home. Neither of those things were in her nature, but she had to agree that he had a point when she had a scare with Teddy. She was just so clumsy and accident prone.

 **-A few days later-**

It was so incredibly hard for them to say goodbye. While it was Ted's last year at Hogwarts, it was Marigold's first. Remus wondered where the time had gone. The more he thought about it, the happier he was about the baby. This was just so hard. They grew up so fast.

"I love you, pup," he hugged his daughter tightly after clapping his son on the back.

Tonks pulled her son in for a big hug, managing not to be too embarrassing before it was her turn with their daughter. She quickly pulled a small box out of her pocket and handed it to Marigold. She opened it curiously. It was a locket.  
"When you open it up, you have the option to summon me so we can speak face to face, and when it becomes warm, you know I'm trying to contact you," she smiled and hugged her daughter tightly. "Have an amazing first semester. We'll see you at christmas holiday!" She couldn't stop the tears and just held her for a little longer. "We love you, pup."

"Bye, mummy. I love you too, so much," Marigold beamed, hiding her own tears before kissing her mother's flat stomach. "Bye, pup. You'll be bigger at Christmas. Can't wait!" She gave her mother's shoulder a final squeeze before gathering her things and running for the train.

Tonks and Lupin waved until the train was just a faint pinprick in the distance. She rested her head against his shoulder and cried. "Shh, Dora. They'll be alright," he soothed her.

After she had composed herself, she kissed him. "I know they'll succeed and do great things. I'm just going to miss them so much. I get so stir-crazy in the house all alone. I know it's for the best but just the same…" He pressed his lips to hers to shut her up.  
Maybe the months until Christmas would fly by after all. She certainly hoped so, because nearly four months without her children felt like the beginning of the end.


End file.
